TRANSSHIPPING STATION AT CIERNA NAD TISOU

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP83-00415R006000080003-3
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 18
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 29, 2012
• Sequence Number: 3
• Publication Date: September 1, 1950
• Content Type: REPORT

Declassified in Part -Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/29 :CIA-RDP83-004158006000080003-3 ~ -HUM
C~ASSI'r~iC~4T~v~~ ,CI~t~'Ij C01ii-~,~ i1.. -- J .S ~ i)~'h'ICIr1LS
CENTI~~~. IN~'ELLIGENCE .AGI:idCY REPORT
~~~~~ ~~~~`~" CD X10,;
CJUNTRY Czechoslovakia/USSR GATE: DISTR.
1 Sept, 1950
SUBJECT Transshipping Station at Cierna nad Tisou . OF PAGES
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1. Description of Cierna nad Tisou Transshipping Station
a. Ciexna nad fiisou is a small town on the Czech/USSR border .about 3.5 krn
'est of Cop. Up to 191.15-Itb the transshipping station at Cierna nad Tisou
33 irisignifica[1 t, but at present it ; s on? of the la.roest in Luro;~e ar_d a.Z7!.
he export and import traffic of Czechoslovakia passes thrau~~ it.
b, A plan already exists to extend the broad-gauge tracks flzrther into
Czechoslovakia, and it is even rumored that these tracks may be extended
as far as Prague. About 0.5 lan ~~est of die C:i.errYa s'ia'cio;~ and 1n1~ m
north of the standardgauge line, foundations for a line in the direc-
tion of Kosice have been laid but no rails. have yet been placed.
Foundation work has also boon done on the stretches between Cierna and
Biel, Biel and Kralovsky Chlumec, Kralovsky Chlumec and 5omotor, and
Somotor and ~3ichalany. Outside bdichalany, 1 km before the station at
Streda nad Badrogem, a new railway bridge alongside the existing; bridge
is beint; built over the river Badrob. The bridge will be about 150 m
in length, and it will be 2 or 3 m wider on the northern side than is
the present bridge. Four concrete supports, two in the water and one on
each bank of the river, have already been completed. too new construction
work has yet been done between P~i.chalany and Kalsa or between Kalsa and
ftuskov. From Ruskov to Kosice it is planned to build a straight stretch
of broad-sauge track. The present narrow-gauge track curves at this
point, and by elaminatin~; this curve the line will be about 15 km
shorter. Since a tunnel 50 to 70 m long needs to be constructed, it
will take considerable time before this stretch is completed. rto work
has been done on the tracks for 300 to 500 m on either side of each
station because these stations are to be enlarged.
c, The Cierna station is to be enlarged in the near future. It is planned
to build a goods station for import ana export traffic about ~.5 krn
from Cierna nad fiisou and extending as far as Kralovsky Chlumec.
Surveying work was started in August 191i9, and the village of Dobra, about
2 km west of Cierna, is to be razed. A second line is to be ]aid from
Uzhorod, USSR, to Velke Kapusany, and the station at Velke Kapusany is
rapidly being enlarged. t1t the beginning of August 1949, a Soviet
comc~is5ion visited Velke Kapusany far several days. The commission
vas conposed of 25 men, of whom 12 were in unifcsm and the remainder in
civilian clothes; they held me~;tin;s with Czech and Slovak engineers.
~L~_~
CI_ASSIFIGATIO~t S~cRr,T/cc~l~a ~ROZ -
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C~,i. TZ ~L T~ Ti.LLI{a~i1 C1': AGL'~~ C Y
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? d. '
The follodving stations have been enlarged:
1)
?
Flesivec: construct?on work is~~still being done in this stationp
a large supply of rails is on hand.
2)
Trebisov.
3}
!~)
Rumens.
Bariovice nad 0ndavou: ~rork is still in progress; large supply of
building materials and rails.
5) Streda ~d Bodm gem: work is not yet completed; large supply of
building materials,
6) Kralovsky Chlumec: extension of the station and of the tracks is
not yet ~mpleted.
e. bore than b, 000 persons are employed in the station at Cierna. Of these,
1,000 live on the station premises end the remaining 5, 000 are housed in , ; _..:-
the surirounding areas. The workers are on the whole satisfied with their ..
earnings-
f. The station is not well lighted. Tt is supplied with power from ahydro-
electric plant on the Kornat river near Kosice, but the towns and
villages i.n the district have no electricity. There is a great shortage
of water at the Cierna sta;,ion, since the water comes from only two
reservoirs. There are a few water-pumps for locomotives. ;`pork is being
started at great speed on a~.hE laying of an underground watE:r pipeline
to the Latorica ttiver, Pipes to the two water rc;servoirs have already
been laid under tine station, ~~ater is also brought to the station in
tankers fs~om 5lovenske Tdove Puesto.
g. The station is very closely guarded. it is protected by barbed wire
on the southern side, which is patrolled by the S'NB. The railway
police guard the tracks and shipanerts, and the workers' militia super-
vise the buildings and loading ramps. STB members in civilian clothes
are always on security duty in the station; soz~e of them are dressed in
the guise of workers.
2. Personnel at Cierna nad Tiatan.
a. Customs Office
1) There are 30 men employed in the custpms office in Cierna nad
Tisou.
a)
b)
Deputy Chief is t~di chat Vas cak
2) The following are agents who accompany shipments to Cop:
a)
b) Gabriel I~akatoc
c) Ladislav Huc
3 } Other ~mployiees are
a) Josef Cipzikl
~ andor N e jmed
S:C~T/Ct~1Tt~OL - [~.5. JFFICIAI.S LILY
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si,ct~7~/cc~~~~~c~~; -. ~,s. nr~~~cza~r;s c~a~,~
CLIv Tl~"~.L Tr~1 T~.LLI ~.~~1 Ct: t1Grr~1 G'Y
-3-
e) ~.duard De i
f) Vojtech J
g) Vo~tech. Bdaka~
h) Josef Lesk
b. SIsB Pbs~t
ThirtGV-one nea are stationed at th3.s post. The head is Pavel Pi?otansk:q,
Fourteen persons are mem ers of t e ance sec an o
the ~1B-PS; the m~a~ority of them are former customs officials and are
not Comtminis is .
c. SN 8 Passport Control Office
Seven marl xork here. The name of the of this office is not known
n0 it
1) Imrich Same3~
TY~.rvlr--one civiI.ians are stabaped in th3 fx"' ~1'he head 3s Josaf
Horvat
are all young.
f. Railway Police
They consist of 30 men with police dogs. These police live at the
station
ZSS (Zelezni~i Stavebni Sprava -Administration of Railway Construction)
1) There are over 3,000 employees in the ZSS~ with 30 workers for each
foreman. The ZSS lays tracks and builds loading and transshipping
ramps,
has ten employees under ham..
engineer s o ce so emp oys a amen an
50X1-HUM
50X1-HUM
3) Head of the bookkeeping dapartmont is San 3~n3.aik~ He
s~c~r/corrrRO~, - u.s oFrzc~zs oraz~
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CLIdT1~L Ins 'ILLLiGt:Iv c~. AO~~ cY 50X1-H U M
h. ~SSZ (Ceskoslovenske Stavebni Zavody -Czech Constructi.an ':forks)
The following are employed in the Czech Construction'forks:
6 engineers
It architects
50 forer-en
200 bricls].ayers
$00 workers
20 joiners
The CSSZ is constructing buildings at Cfe~a~ ~1,rZ T~;gpu~
i. i~Zo (Ministerst~-o zahrani.eniho obohodu - &iinistry of Foreign Trade)
Chief re resentative of the ~3inist
a Czec
There a u na a erevka travels to
Cop four or five times monthly for a period oP one or two days each
visiti.
Czech Grain Corapat~gr ~~ysr~dna slovens~ta obi~.ni spolecnost~--~-----~ -!
Head of the Czech Grain Gomx~anv is Dr. KAhA11f:
8 ZO rain COII2pal~y'
the ~?raia 3mnarted.
k, Slovakian Grain_Company tVysadr~ slovenslsn obiln3 spolecnost)
~.mpor
e v ~.an razn Company received one-fifth of the grain
1. Cattle-fodder Grain Company
Chief of this company is Dr. Smetana
Consul Popescu
n. k Soviet officer whose name is n~-t known is stationed here. ~~e is
probably an offidal of the Soviet commissions which come to Gierna
na.d Tisou about once every two months. He wears a uniform with five
gold Stars
o. f-tOH (Remolutionary Trade Union Fiovement
The president is Rudolf DemskyJ
p. KSS (Slovakian Communist Party)
The president is one Radymak
c~ o CSD ~ Czech Rai~.Yrays )
Station Director: J
osef Sladek
2) Depufiy Ili.recto r: ~r
abar~
3)
Six signal men; the
follow~isig
are known:
a) Stefan Jarnyf
b) Frantisek Pastor
SLCRt~.T/CO~dTR(~L - U.S. :OFFICIALS (h~ILY
50X1-HUM
50X1-HUM
50X1-HUM
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~~~ iiUSl, 1iY 1L+s.+L1lY1:lY leL' a~:~t ui ~ ~vn1-HUM
-5-,
' !~) Signal box crew consists of 2!~ Men,
5) Transshippi~ workers: 1,050 workers are mmployed on a piecework
basis . There is one fo : enari. fv r ever pro rke rs . ?.t'he chief of
the transshipping staff is Spale
b) Pay office: Chief of this office is Vasil Kulil~
Six persons work under him.
3?
7) Locomotive sh~;d: about 350 men are employed here, oi' who2n 100 are
mechanics. .
8) Claims departrn ~~
is Dr. Paucuka
Recording office: 25 e*~].oyess. Bead is Jooef' Vasko~
10)
Administration office: 13 to aes. Bead of the offic
e is Frr.~ntiaek
Torkos
11)
Zfart~ ~
~ ~ ~ n~ yard: 100 emgl~ca . Chief is Jan Rad~c3~
He has three deputi3s.
~-? ) Shippa.ng departabent: it employs about 216 men. Chief is Jan
Taback The officials of this department receive
all papers on a arriv of roods intended for export.
13) All employees and workers in the CSD gear a CSD uniform.
worts and Imports
L,xports to the USSR
1)
2)
Goods exported from Czechoslovakia are not transshipped 3.n Cierna
nad Tisou but in the USSR. I3.oht goods are transshipped in Cop
aad heavy goods in Mukacevo. exports are brought as far as Cop
on a standaxd-gauge track. Tt is not known how th+e goods are
transported from there.
folla~ring are the chief ~;ovds exparted:
Cars from the Skoda firm
Electric motors
Agricultural machines
Iron bridges, in parts, loa dad on 15 to 20 freight cars
Radio receivers, phonogr~.phs fro:a the Tesla firm
Medical instruments
Lighter flints
Furniture
Textiles for civilian use
glass and glassware
Refined sugar
Beer from Pizen
Hops
3)
In 1911?~ two to three goods trains arrived daily; each had 50 to
b0 t'~ig~t cars. In 1948-1~9, the number of goods trains eras
increased to four or five daily, each having 50 or 60 cars. f.ach
shipment amounted to about ~,~,200 tons. In 197, 75,000 tons of
sugar were exported9 while in 19118 the amount was increased to
X5,000 'tons. In the middle of February 19119, a train arrived with
about. b0 cars from the direction of Prague. There were three sealed
cars i.ri the middle of phis gaocis train and they bare the inscription
"Base - Jachymov". A Russian soldier ryas posted in each of these
sealed c~.rs, and the contents of the cars vrere not cleared through
the railroad officials as is usually clone. The official papers
were enclosed in a sealed red envelope, marked t'Conf:i.dential" ~~nd
shor~in~ thE; route they were takinn: Praha, Bohurd.n, 'Soravska~-C7strava,
SI;GF~,Tf Gt~l , f~~~r_, -~ U ,~' . OI~'r'~.CIAI~S ctdlj~'
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..W...,w~,_..~,__~._ _. ~-------- -------
CET]TR.~L Ti~~ELLIGErtCE+ AGENGY
-6-
Z37,ina, Kosice, Ciarna nod Tisou, COP-USSR. Each ear wei~ed
1$ tone.
b. 'rH f~tr,, USSR.
1) Imports are traasported on the broad~~uge track as ~r as Cierna.
nod T3saiu and there transshipped.
2) The fo2lowlxtg are the chief goods imported:
3)
4)
5)
a} Iron ore
b) P~langen~ase ore For tungsten steel
c) "Ni&terz"
d} Copper
e) Chromium
f) Cast iron
g) k?1ood, tree tracks
h) Cotton
i) Tobacco
k) Czain
1) Tea
a) Mast
n} Butter (in the wing)
Orae ware imported on3y from the bcj~ or middle of A~i1
to the ta3ddle of Novencber.
a) Tn Z94? and 1948, 4.s000 tons of ore were imported in 2l, hatre.
b~ In 1949, b,000 to 9,000 tone of ore were imported 3n ?.J, boars,
c) In 1948, 500,000 tone of ?;rain Leers 3.mported in 2l. hours.
d) In 1949, ?50,000 tons of ~3a were iapoz~ted in ?1, hours.
e) In 1949, 25,000 tons of meat were imported in ?.~,, hours.
t) In 1949, 15,000 tons of batter were imported in 2,1, hours.
Prior to 20 August 1949, f iv~e or six Foods trains arriv+ad every
24. haars 4or dispatch, bat since that tine the number has rise~t
to sevc3a or nine goods trains ev~ory ?1~ hours. Four to sax of
these trains carry arms. since a0 September 1949, amrmaaition
has been transported. Only soldiers, who are brought specially
and the new route. is vie. Hun~~ary to Slov~r~as Nave Marto. T3iree
to fdur taa~aic cars carrying aircraft ofl arr3,ve dai]y at
Cierna nod Tisch and thin oil is ttunsshipped by weans of an
electric pump.
from Kosice, are em~aloyed to txsnsship armatnsnts.
F'yrom 'the beginning of 1948 until February 191.9, ~asoLtne was
imported from Rumania v3,a cop and Cierna sad Tisou. Trains with
~ taai~er Dare dame twice weeklg. .Since February 1949, the
sYsippi~ a~' gasoline v3$ Cierna nod Tisera hse been responded
SuCP~.-'T/COi~T~toL - U.s. QFFICiALS aNLY
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CENTF~AL IT1Ti~.LLIGEIJCE AGEt1CY 50X1-HUM
Attachment: Sketch of Transshipping Station at Cierna nod Tisou
~~end to Sketch
level oroesings
-. eLoctric eng3~e
;,. ~reighing machine
:: nndsrgrouucl water pipe] in~e
~, barbed w3.r?
1. torkshops and locomotive shed: brick bui]r3ir~s, 60G~n by I~0 m. and $ n. high.
The ?astern. side is open.
2. Turatablc3 with two tzRakss by means of these turntablss,loaomotiv~ea c~a be
brau~it into the workshops acrd the m~ah3ne shed. Sack is dumped betweaa
five tracks loading to the turatabla.
3. Brick tu3lding with a glass roof, 200 by 50 m., and $ to 10 m high. This
building conts~ins workshops for locomativsa and freight cars and is divided
into-two seetians, each 100 m. long. To the south of the building there
are 6 standar+c'~-getugc~t tracks acrd to the north 6 broad-~auga tracks. TYra~re
ie a space of 5 m. between the tracks, because work is also done outside
the building and various tools and apparatnaes are left outside;
coal dump la20 by a5 ffi. and 8 to IO m. high.
5. Th~c+ee-story br3.ck building with a alr~te roof, 50 by 25 m. The first floor
hauass the offices for the mschiae shed, and the seco~ud and third floors,
the ]3.yrino gnarters~ For the onginseara.
6. ?~Jooden buildix~ with roofing felt, 50 bsr l5 n.; it contains living quarters
for fittors and other workers.
7. Store, 380 by 150 n., for wood, asbestos, otc.
8. I~'atar reservoir, wooden bui7?,ding covered with roofing folt, a3.ightly higher
thatr a on~a--atory building. CapQCity ~0 cu. r~.
9. Fort~rly a washtboan; Dive raih~r worIfler now lives ia- it.
10. Brack building, not ~*et completed, 45 bLY 12 m.
ll. Signal-box, brick building 10 by 5 n.
12. Coal dump Par Soviet locomotives, 80 b6' 15 m. and 8 to 10 m. higxt.
3,3. Water reservoir, wooden. building carlth roofing felt, a little higher than
a Dive-story building. Capacity 80 cu. r~.
1l,.. Sigma-box, brick ba~ilding 10 bl,St 5 r~.
l5. Radio station, sing7!s-stox9 brtek building with elate roof, 5 by 5 r~.
16. Tranafor-ner, wick building 5 tfY 5 m?, 8 m high, flat roof.
17. t?Jooden la1.i3.c'ting with roofing felt, 50 by 15 z~., liv3x~ quarrs for electrical
technicians and mech~niea. Also a stare for electrical ec,~praent.
:,
],8. Standard-gauge track, us?d to brix~; sand from the mouataia~for foundatioa
mark oa the tracks.
19. Store, brick building 1y20 by 50 ?~., 7 to 8 *n. high, roof of "etnrait"
siu~eting. On the southern side of the store there arc 20 entrr~tces Zr.Lth dcors,
and arnlll Cr? llad Erltrdotr~. On the eastern side there are throe to five
offices for the 'aookkesp3nC dei?arts~x~nt, supervising officials of the mans-~
shipp3ag atat3.on,a'1yry~d th~1e piaarytT of.~'~.oe forr p/i~ercot~ror7kers.
ei~L+i.~~~.?/11~~.~1~:.,iJ.j ? ~. ~. '~3'.L'~._V SEI1n~.7 J!
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 1, l.lsia" ? J R -J 9 is1 .. :_uJ.i..iwl.. -)
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(,E 1TRAL IflTELLI ? CE AGENCY
45. Three-vtory, empty brick building with slate roof, 75 by 30 in.
46. Workers' kitchen, wooden building with roofing felt, 25 by 7 in.
47. Wooden building with roofing felt, 25 1- 7 m.: offices of the CSSZ and
living cpArtere for its employees.
48. Wooden building with roofing felt, 25 by 7 m.: storehouse for cement and lime.
49. Three-story, empty brick building with slate roof, 75 by 30 in.
50, 51, 52 and 53. Wooden buildings with roofing felt, 50 by 15 in. No. 50 contains
the office of the Soviet officer, No. 51 the Czech Grain Company, No. 52 the
Slovakian Grain Company, and No. 53 the granary for fodder.
54. Wooden building with roofing felt, 75 by 15 i. kitchens and canteen.
55, 56, 57, 58 and 59. Brick buildings with slate roof, 75 by 15 m, No. 55 oontains
the waiting room, No. 56 the 14ZO representative, No. 57 the "Doprovra Conoelar",
No. 58 the station nvster1s office, and No. 59 the Rumanian Consulate.
60 and 61. Wooden buildings with roofing felt, 50 by 15 in. No. 60 contains the
offices of the STH, and No. 61 the offices of the SNB and living quarters for
30 men.
62. Wooden building with roofing felt, 70 by 15 in. There are four sections in
this building:
a. SNB passport control
b. Post office
c. Transit section
d. Rest rooms and sleeping quarters for Russian railway workers, about 30 men.
63. Four-room homes for officials and workers are to be built here in the spring
of 1950.
64. Signal-box, brick building with slate roof, 10 by 5 in.
65. Radio station, two-story brick building with slate roof, 5 by 5 in.
66. Sigel-box, brick bd1d4ng with slate roof, 10 by 5 in.
67. Weighing machine on the track, and wooden shad 3 by 3 in.
68. Brick building with slate roof, 10 by 5 m.: Cierna nad Tisou station.
69. Farm building, 50 by 15 in.
70. Brick building with slate roof, occupied by one railway worker and his family.
(not indicated on sketch)
71. A Hungarian freight car without wheels, housing the Soviet frontier guard
which consists of 10 men: this is the first frontier control on Soviet territory,
and passenger and goads trains and their personnel are cagy checked. 'hen
the train has been approved, three men acoompavy it as far as Cop. (not indicated
on slaetch)
72. Frontier control SNB-PS, consisting of I4 man.
SEcU'T/CONTROL - U.S. OFFICIALS ONLY
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D
DES'T COPY
Available
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